From 19 June to 2 July 2023, the exhibition QADDFFSUW was presented at Arti et Amicitiae, a project by Régis Gonçalves. The title is composed of eight English words: Anomalous, Different, Dubious, Flaky, Fishy, Strange, Uncanny en Weird. Together they describe what is often labeled as “strange” or “out of place.” Régis used these terms as the starting point for a series of fictional portraits of people who fall outside the norm. They are not self-portraits or recognisable figures, but images inspired by photographs and profiles he encountered on social media.

Online, we mostly see images that conform to a narrow and often unrealistic standard of what is considered beautiful or normal. Anything that deviates from this is quickly labeled as odd or inappropriate. In QADDFFSUW, Régis reverses this perspective. The portraits highlight people who are different, in their appearance, posture or way of being.

The works are expressive and unsettling. Faces are distorted, bodies seem to be in motion, and the boundary between inner and outer worlds begins to blur. It is as if the figures on the canvas lose their masks and reveal their inner lives. They portray individuals who in everyday life are often overlooked or excluded because of their appearance, gender expression or attitude. In this series, they are given space filled with colour, texture and attention.

With QADDFFSUW, Régis shows that being queer is not a deviation, but a way of existing that holds space for strength, vulnerability and individuality. The exhibition invited reflection on how we look at others, on what we define as normal, and on who is included or excluded within that definition. What may seem strange or incomprehensible at first glance often proves, upon closer inspection, to be human, honest and recognisable.